TMV
Swartland Syrah 2006 South Africa
From 16 year old vines planted on Malmesbury shale, made as naturally as
possible. It has an open, ripe, sweetly dark fruited nose, with meaty,
olive-like overtones. The palate is supple and elegant with dark, meaty
notes. Lovely. 90/100 (£12.99 Waitrose)

Blind River Pinot Noir 2006
Marlborough, New ZealandHand harvested from the Awatare Valley, small batch processing
with indigenous yeasts and maturation in French oak. This has a lovely
perfume: aromatic cherry/berry/raspberry fruit with some dark spiciness
and a bit of sappiness. There's a liqueur-like purity here. The palate is
sweetly fruited with lovely purity and smoothness. A bit of plummy
bitterness adds contrast. An impressive Pinot Noir of real poise. 92/100 (£17.99
Oddbins)

Matetic
EQ Syrah 2005 San Antonio Valley, ChileOne of the most impressive wineries I visited on my recent trip to
Chile, biodynamic estate Matetic have a winner with this brilliant Syrah.
Its inky, dark, meaty, spicy nose is vivid and full. The palate is
concentrated and bold with lovely intensity to the pure dark fruit,
together with some spicy complexity. A deliciously bold wine that retains
some restraint. 93/100 (£16.99 The Wine Society, Majestic)

Les Hauts de Força Real
2003 Cotes du Roussillon Villages, FranceQuite a dark, dense wine with a meaty, earthy edge to the
super-ripe black fruits. Big, ripe, but savoury too, and not imbalanced.
Rich, earthy, spicy, tannic palate is very bold, and showing a bit of
Brettanomyces character, but in a rich wine like this it works quite
well, making a full flavoured, attractively savoury wine. 90/100 (£10.99
http://www.therealwineco.co.uk/)

Domaine du Closel La Jalousie Savennières
2005 Loire, FranceA really fantastic, intense dry Chenin from the Loire, boasting aromas
of herbs, honey, straw and lanolin. The palate is concentrated, mineralic
and dry, with a strong savoury, almost cheesy character to it. Nice
acidity keeps things very fresh. It’s quite a challenging drink now, but
I reckon this will age very well and pick up complexity over the next
decade. 90/100 (£9.95 The Wine Society, £11.95 Tanners)

JM da Fonseca Periquita 2005
Terras do Sado, PortugalA blend dominated by Castelao, with some Trincadeira and
Aragonez (aka Tempranillo). The nose shows dark, cherryish, blackberry
fruit with a slightly bitter plummy edge, together with some savoury
spice. The palate is dark and plummy with some savoury, spicy
personality. Perhaps a bit more fruity and modern that Periquitas of the
past, this still has a slightly rustic edge, and I reckon it will
develop nicely over the next year or two in bottle. Great value. 84/100
(£4.99 Waitrose, on offer at £3.99 until April 22nd)

Castillo Labastida Aniversario
Rioja 2004, SpainFrom the Cosecheros de Labastida Co-op, made for Laithwaites.
Very deep red/purple colour. Ripe, sweet fruit on the nose which is
quite lush, and has a hint of vanilla. The palate is dense and
fruit-driven with some ripe, spicy fruit and a bit of tannic structure.
It's nice to find this density of fruit and a relative lack of obvious
oak in a Rioja. Modern but balanced. 88/100 (£7.06 Laithwaites)